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Showing posts from October, 2011

An Imperial Tantrum

This is the classic case of the boy who loses an argument while playing ball, and takes home the ball and the bat. The U.S., in what amounts to a monumental tantrum, has withheld $60 million from UNESCO, to punish it for accepting the Palestinians on the same footing as other nations, obviously as a prelude to the U.N.'s decision to grant them political recognition. So, the Americans, who feel that the rest of the world has to do what they tell them about everything, are behaving like the proverbial spoiled child. Little do they care that more than 100 countries voted in favor of the Palestinians on this, with just 14 voting against it. In the U.S. concept of democracy, time and again, votes count only when they favor its position. This is simply an egregious example of imperial arrogance. Mark my words. The next step will be to evict the U.N from its New York location.

"Is This What We Fought For?"

I keep saying it: be careful what you wish for. Libyans are non-too-happy these days with some statements made by the interim leader there suggesting that the enactment of a stricter Islamic law would allow polygamy. Women, who have been at the forefront of the revolution, are upset, to say the least, at the hint of this new state of affairs. The fact is that under the recently-ended regime, polygamy, although part of Islamic law, was rare and not encouraged. Now, when Libyans have begun to think that this is the dawn of a new era, they worry that things may not turn out as they expected. They might find out that, in a democracy, the majority rules, and if that majority approves of outrageous practices, everybody has to abide by them. Of course, you could have a revolution every other month...

Keeping the U.S. "Safe"

The alarm has gone off because the U.S. Border Patrol has decided to cut back on its duties at the border with Canada. Those obsessed with "national security" and keeping America for Americans are apoplectic over this decision. But, the fact is that, with less personnel, due to the economic hard times, resources must be deployed where they are most needed, namely, at the southern border, across which the truly dangerous and undesirable people go into the U.S. People with dark skin who speak Spanish.

Inside a U.S. Torture Center

A former guard at the Guantánamo detention facility has gone public detailing the abuses that occur there. It's an eye-opening story that confirms what has been alleged all this time. People have been put there without any regard for their possible innocence, nor for their safety and well-being. The U.S.has presumed them guilty and has tortured them accordingly. Young soldiers were sent there and, basically, told or taught by example that anything was permissible in the war against terrorism. So, once again, we see the double standard applied here. Torture is bad if it's practiced by repressive regimes, but, when it's the U.S that engages in it, then it's authorized at the highest levels. Of course, when caught doing it, they'll deny it, but, testimony such as this one is very difficult to dispute.

Ignoring the World

No matter how you slice it, a score of 186-2 is as lopsided a victory as can be. When you realize that is the vote against the U.S. embargo of Cuba in the United Nations, there can be no doubt about how the whole world feels about it. For the last 20 years , the U.N has voted to express its rejection of the American embargo.  But, as is always the case, the U.S. chooses to ignore the decision by the world's most inclusive forum. The Americans, who promote democracy and voting all over the world, in essence, give the rest of the world the finger over this issue. To them the only democracy that counts is the one that suits their purposes. In this case, only Israel sides with the U.S. Not even its European allies think that the embargo should go on. The question then becomes: Why should any other country obey the U.N. or take it seriously, when the U.S., its host country, has no respect for it? Is this the way to promote democratic values, picking and choosing which decisions to acc

A Bomb Is Ticking...

Just as I predicted recently, protests in the U.S. have begun to turn violent. Police are becoming increasingly frustrated with all those "occupiers" who refuse to move or go home. For now, it's just tear gas in California, which usually leads the way in these things. But, bullets won't be far behind. Too many people are involved on both sides, so it's a matter of time before somebody snaps and the killing begins in earnest. It's the American way.

Our Next-Door Killing Field

We in Puerto Rico have a rather serious problem with police brutality and misconduct. Or so we thought, but, by the looks of it, our next-door neighbors the Dominicans have surpassed us, not only in baseball, but also in their police officers using their billy clubs as baseball bats. According to Amnesty International, which keeps score on such things, last year, 10.5% of all killings in " the land Columbus loved most" were committed by its police force. For those who are always looking for something positive, it's down from 19% in 2008. Still, the word "alarming" comes to mind. The Trujillo regime may have ended officially 50 years ago, but it's still very much alive in several aspects of that country's life. Of course, the years under Balaguer were no picnic either; after all, he had been Trujillo's right-hand man and the brains behind most of that brutally repressive regime, so his was only superficially different. Both the police and the armed

Yankees, Go Home!

Meanwhile, back at the Afghanistan "ranch", things are not going all that well for American interests. So much so, that Karzai, of all people, has said that, if push comes to shove, his country would side with Pakistan in a conflict with the U.S. Of course, he qualified it by saying that he was referring to the unlikely event that the U.S. would attack Pakistan unprovoked. Still, it speaks volumes about the kind of support that the U.S. has from its allies around the world. The thing is that, when you throw your weight around constantly, people resent you, even though they might benefit from your intervention in some way. The diplomacy of humiliation will only get you so far; after that, those people will turn on you, and rightfully so. "Liberators" soon become "invaders" or foreigners who have overstayed their welcome. Ultimately, no one wants a permanent occupying force on their soil, regardless of its intentions. Yankees should go home and let the res

Too Much Arrogance

Much is being made of the American withdrawal from Iraq, as if it was some kind of victory. Nothing is farther from the truth. But, the point should be made that one of the reasons that the U.S. is doing it is the fact that the Iraqi government refused to grant immunity from prosecution to the American military. You see, this is a condition for the U.S. troops to stay in a country: no matter what crimes they commit, they can't be judged by that country's legal system. Of course, this leads to widespread abuses and, ultimately, impunity. The U.S. chooses who to investigate and prosecute. As the old "Church Lady" from Saturday Night Live used to say: "How convenient!" As usual, all this talk about the U.S. standing for the rule of law is bullshit. The rule of law is only valid if it suits American purposes. Even a country such as Iraq, with all its faults and problems, found it too hard to swallow the U.S. outrageous and shameful condition for its continued

Guilty by Name

A woman calls the police to report a stolen vehicle. They come to her house and arrest her for another crime. Nothing else matched the facts about the supposed culprit, except her first name, Teresa. The woman spent 53 days in jail before she was cleared of any wrongdoing. Did this happen in some backward country? No. Did it take place in one of those totalitarian regimes that are being toppled around the world? No. Did this happen in some small town, where the rule of law depends on one person? Again, no. This Kafkaesque episode took place in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. And, of course, the woman is black.

Rape, American Style

The class-action suit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of immigrant women --one supposes, mostly Mexican -- that claim to have been sexually abused while in custody of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement guys in Texas should come as no surprise. Illegal immigrants are fair game --literally -- for rednecks and other folks of that ilk. To them, Latinos are worthless people who, on top of that, have no business being north of the border. So, they have no rights, and any mistreatment is just what they deserve for breaking the law. In the case of women, there's the added bonus of abusing them sexually. Part of the problem comes form the fact that ICE has privatized some of its functions through contracts with people in the security business who don't feel accountable to anyone. Some of these people are mercenaries and former military personnel who are used to abusing and killing "inferior" people overseas, and see nothing wrong in doing it i

Playing Fast and Loose With the Truth

That part of the Cuban exiles that is politically active, especially in Florida, has made a career of being anti-Castro and not much else. They may not be for anything; all they have to be is against Castro. So, it's quite understandable that politicians are desperate to show how gung-ho they are, when it comes to Castro's Cuba. Obviously, this is what has happened to Marco Rubio, the state senator that used to claim that his parents had fled Cuba after Castro took over. Now we know that isn't true because they had left in 1956, well before the triumph of the revolution. Rubio alleges that he relied on what his family told him, and he was unaware of the inaccuracy. But, given the context and how convenient the other version is to his political career, it's really very difficult to believe that he didn't know the truth from the start. More than likely, he saw this as an opportunity to win votes from the Cuban constituency that would identify with his story. In sho

Wash Your Hands, America!

It's official! The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has declared that the listeria outbreak has been caused by "unsanitary conditions" at the facilities related to the cantaloupes that bear the bacteria. According to the FDA, the company was at fault for failing to observe sanitary practices in the handling of the fruit. In other words, it was a pigsty, and now 25 people have died and about 100 others have been made sick by the tainted fruit. All this in a country that prides itself in having the best quality controls and highest standards in everything; which looks down on the rest of the world, and bad-mouths other countries' products and processes, while, as we now know, doesn't wash its hands when handling food and produce.

Illiteracy in the Literary World

The process toward this year's National Book Awards in the U.S. has been a comedy of errors. The prestigious literary prizes have been tarnished by a singularly incompetent nominating procedure. To wit, meaning to nominate a book titled Chime, they notified the author of Shine . Aware of their mistake, they first decided to include both, although it expanded the category from the five nominees mandated by the rules to six. Then, they reconsidered, and asked the author of Shine to withdraw from the contest. Which poses the question: Don't these literary people know how to read? How could they confuse Chime with Shine ?   Furthermore, what kind of solution was that, of acting against the rules, just to cover up their mistake? Maybe they didn't know how to read the rules either.

Hell Has Prevailed

Believe me, I would love to get off the subject, but it just won't let me.  A small group of protesters, including a priest, were briefly detained in the Vatican for demonstrating in favor of the ordaining of women as priests. The thing is, you see, that last year, in what has to be the most cynical act of the millennium, the Church made the ordaining of women a canonical offense on the same level as abusing a child . So, those who advocate it are promoting a grave sin. Boy, was I right in leaving the Church in 1968!

"The End of Days"

Well, it seems that we won't have to wait too long to get rid of Pope Ratzinger. Granted that St. Peter's Basilica is the world's biggest church, but the fact that he has to ride on a wheeled platform to go from one end to the other of the central aisle is a clear indication of his physical frailty. We already have more than enough indications of his moral frailty. Let's hope that we have more luck with the next Pope.

Church Cynicism

The Catholic Church just doesn't get it. After all that has happened in recent years, it's still involved in the cover up of the sexual abuse of minors. The latest case to come to light is that of the Kansas City bishop that has been indicted for "endangerment of a child", which, in plain speaking, means that he was aware that a priest of his diocese was a threat in this regard and did nothing. After learning that the priest had hundreds of child porn photos, he waited five months before he reported him to the authorities, giving him ample time to continue with his practice. This is a clear example of the way in which Church officials drag their feet in these cases because, at bottom, in spite of all the protestations to the contrary by Vatican officials, they care more about covering their asses and maintaining an image, than about doing the right thing. They still think that they can get away with it. They are not sorry at all, and will keep doing what they please

The Blame Game

It's the oldest trick in the political book. Build an unfavorable image of your adversary by every means possible. Then, do something awful and blame your adversary for it. Americans are masters at it. "Remember the Maine!"? We in Puerto Rico certainly do because it triggered the Spanish-American War that gave the U.S. the excuse for invading us, an invasion that is still going on. Does anyone seriously believe that Spain would be so stupid as to provoke the U.S. by blowing up an American ship at Havana harbor? What worked in 1898 and many times after is still working. Now, it's Iran and its "plot" to kill the Saudi ambassador to the U.S. on American soil. The supposed plot is so ridiculous, it's laughable. Serious analysts have begun to question its authenticity, but to no avail: Obama has passed judgment and sentenced Iran to "pay the price." Here we go again...

Unh-unh, U.N.

It's become "fashionable" to fault Venezuela for everything that it does or does not do. A worldwide campaign has seen to it that the country is held in low regard by most accounts. The most recent one is the report by the U.N. Human Rights Commission, which includes 148 recommendations, 98 of which have been accepted by Venezuela. Still, the emphasis is being put on the ones that it has "rejected." What I find interesting is, first of all, this practice of some countries judging others, as if they were somehow blameless and their record spotless.Would, say, France, Germany, Spain or the United States fare well, if their civil or human rights record were to be put under the same scrutiny as Venezuela or Cuba, another one of the "bad guys" in the international arena? Are all these countries and many more like them so pure in their dealings with immigrants, minorities and their own citizens? Surely not. So, I suggest that the world stop beating on Ch

Mean Streets

When the so-called "Arab Spring" had its first "success" in Egypt, I urged caution, fearing that the mob-rule mentality would bring further trouble. Once again, Egyptians have taken to the streets, frustrated with the people who just a few months ago were hailed as patriots and saviors from the Mubarak regime. Now, the U.S., which, as usual, dictated that Mubarak had to go, is, to say the least, embarrassed at the turn of the events that it helped in no small part to bring about. Obama, with enough troubles of his own at home, is pleading with Egypt's protesters and the government that he helped set up to behave sensibly, but to no avail. As time goes by, Mubarak doesn't seem so bad, after all. At least he kept religious extremism in check. Meanwhile, Obama has turned a blind eye to his protesters at home, who grow by the minute and refuse to go away. Ironically, everyone seems to agree that the protests in the U.S. have been inspired by the ones in Egypt

My Two-Cents' Worth

Not to knock the awarding of the Nobel Prize for Economics to the two Americans, but it seems rather awkward, given the state of the U.S. economy. Maybe this is the reason why one of them rushed to make it clear that their work has no short-term practical application. Well, Obama would surely need some ideas to improve things, so I guess he will have to turn to somebody else for that. Ironically, the work for which they have been honored has to do with the effect of government policies on the economy and vice versa, which, quite frankly, is a relationship that shouldn't surprise anyone. Although I majored in economics some 40 years ago before studying law, I don't claim to be an economist. Nevertheless, I do have a working knowledge of  the matter, and I always felt that a lot of it has to do with, on the one hand, common sense and, on the other hand, questionable assumptions about real-life decisions. Too much emphasis on mathematical formulas and models very often obscures

Death on the High Seas

It's estimated that, in the last 16 years, 168 people have disappeared from cruise ships . They have vanished into thin air or, most probably, the ocean. It's a most disturbing figure, given that this is supposed to be a safe way to travel for people of all ages, from the very old to the very young. And yet, there's something rather mysterious in all this. People go on these cruise ships and disappear without any explanation from the crew, the company that owns the ship or the police. Like on an episode of The Twilight Zone. No one is ever indicted for a crime, because there is no evidence of one. Those people could have had an accident and fallen overboard. Or they could have committed suicide by jumping overboard. Or, most likely, someone threw them overboard, dead or alive. But, who? Are there serial killers on these cruises? Or have some people found a way of getting away with murder? A puzzling question indeed.

A Spotty Jobs Report

While people are singing Steve Jobs' praises as an inventor and innovator, it's worth noting how flawed he was as a human being, not just because he wouldn't give the time of day to the father that gave him up for adoption, but, most importantly, because, for a long time, he refused to recognize a child born out of wedlock, going so far as to claim that he was sterile, while having three children with his wife. Although one can understand his attitude toward his father, there is simply no excuse for not acknowledging his daughter to the extreme that he did. By doing so, he ended doing something akin to what he blamed his father for. He may have been a "genius", as some claim, but he failed a critical test of being a decent human being.

Tsk, Tsk, Tutu

Hyperbole is a valid and useful form of expressing one's ideas and opinions forcefully, but, taken to the extreme discredits the one that indulges in it. This is what has happened to Desmond Tutu in his tirade against the South African government for refusing to issue a visa to the Dalai Lama, a friend of his invited to the bishop's 80th birthday celebration. Even if he's right in criticizing the government for this decision, comparing it to apartheid is clearly an outrageous exaggeration without any rational basis. Tutu has done himself a disservice by throwing this public tantrum and using an inappropriate analogy in the country that suffered so much under that system. I think the time has come for the bishop to take a vow of silence.

Be Careful What You Wish For...

The Alabama courts have upheld the toughest immigration law this side of Arizona, prompting a stampede of Latinos getting out of town. So, one would suppose that everything's right with the world of the bigots. Well, not quite. It's being reported that the sudden and massive disappearance of all those people is having a disruptive effect in many aspects of Alabama life, such as agriculture, commerce and just everyday chores that Latinos, many of them illegal residents, performed. Either the people behind the bill didn't anticipate such a quick and stunning reaction, or their bigotry is too strong for them to care. Time will tell how this plays out, but, for now, a lot of Alabama whites aren't too happy with the law.

A Black Track Record

The Puerto Rican family that leased a property to the pharmaceutical company Baxter for 15 years must have thought that it had a pretty sweet deal. Instead, it discovered that, true to form, the company dumped radioactive waste and contaminated the property, rendering it useless. In response to the $50 million suit, Baxter denies any wrongdoing. There's just one problem with Baxter's position. In 2004 and 2008, it was ordered to pay fines for polluting and mishandling radioactive material, so, its protestations of innocence sound a bit hollow...

Bravo!

The news that a Spanish judge has released, although not freed entirely, some suspects of aiding and abetting terrorism, for insufficient evidence, pending further investigation, is a welcome development for all those who believe in the rule of law. It is absolutely critical that the judiciary everywhere maintain its professional cool head  in the midst of all this hysteria about terrorism, that has turned mere suspicion into certainty of guilt. Evidence must still be weighed carefully and dispassionately, not bending the rules to accommodate the State's case, thus making it easier to prove it. Although the pressure to go along with the police and prosecutors in these national security cases is enormous, judges must stand firm in doing their duty to decide on the evidence and honor the presumption of innocence.

"The News About [His] Death..."

Hugo Chávez is absolutely right in describing his "death watch" as morbid and inhumane. Ever since he was diagnosed with cancer, and all through his treatment, there has been a sick and sickening reporting on his health, the most recent of which had him hospitalized at death's door. This is a perfect example of the irresponsible journalism that, under the guise of freedom of speech, publishes falsehoods, spreads rumors and does everything it can to bring him down. One doesn't hear a word of condemnation from the Inter American Press Society, always so eager to lash out at Chávez or Fidel for interfering with the press. Which goes to show that these supposed watchdogs of democracy and human rights are not really interested in offering a truthful and balanced presentation of the facts, but are instead watching out for the interests of the landed gentry and the ruling class, and, of course, those of their ultimate masters, the Americans. Much to their frustration, Cháv